Pulsometer.



A. Hl W. jOHNSUN, DECD.

L. H.1ONNsON,xEcuTR|x.

P|J| ;S0N|E`I'ER` APPLICATION man JUNE 23. 1.914.

llg., Patented Apr., 13, 1915.

I i llll1 wim/ifs; n l VE R em/4 @wb/L d HE No. RIS PETERS |70`PHoTo-LlTHO.. WASHINGTON, D C

ibn.

AUGUSTUS H. W. JOHNSGN, DECEASED, LATE OF LARCHMONT, NEW YORK, BY LOUISEH. JGHNSON, EXECUTRIX, OF LARCHMONT, NEW YORK.

PULSOMETEB..

LTSJH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. i3, i915.

Application filed I une 23, 1914. Serial No. 846,748.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known thatAUG-USTUS JOHNSON, deceased,late of Larchmont, in the county of TWestchester and State of New York,during his lifetime invented certain new and useful Improvements inPulsometers, and that l, LOUISE H. JOHNSON, eXecutriX under the lastwill and testament of the said AUGUST H. W. JOHNSON, do hereby declare,to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the followingspecification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished andforming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and complete descriptionof said improvements.

His invention relates to an improvement in pulsometers in which heemploys meansvertically placed spring-returned check valves, in aninverted position, as an example-to close the passageway from the top ofthe pump cylinders to the center or steam-distributing valve against theadmission of water or other substance being pumped to the Space betweenthe said check valves and the steam-distributing valve dur ing theperiod of induction and have the said check valves remain closed againstsuch admission or the admission of a further supply from a bypass, afterthe vacuum has been satisfied until opened by a fresh supply of steamadmitted by the moving of the steam-distributing valve to its oppositeseat, due to the action of the vacuum created in the opposite pumpcylinder.

The improvement is of great value, not only in economy in theconsumption of steam, but in accelerating the function or periods ofemptying and filling the pump cylinders, thereby increasing the pumpingcapacity of the pulsometer, and in still another important respect ofmaking unnecessary the accurate adjustment of the valve which controlsthe admission of steam to the pulsometer from the source of steamsupply, and still further, of the accurately .timed and quantity of airadmitted to the pump cylinders through the air valves. A materialincrease of steam admitted, which would ordinarily disturb the operationof the pulsometer without his device, does not appear to disturb theregularity of the functioning of the pulsometer with his device.

There are still other advantages which flow from this, his improvementin pu1someters, which will be set forth later.

Perhaps the improved pulsometer will be more. readily understood byfirst briefly describing the conventional form of pulsometer, andfollowing that description with a disclosure of his improved pulsometer,by which he attained the objects hereinbefore referred to.

Figure l is a view principally in vertical section of the conventionalform of pulsometer with his improvement of check-valves; Fig.. 2 is aview chiefly in vertical section of his improved pulsometer with checkvalves, and of a new form of center or steam-distributing valve; Fig. 3is a face view of a form of center or steam-distributing valve.

Similar reference letters refer to similar parts throughout the severalviews.

The conventional form of pulsometer may be described as follows, havingreference to the figures of the drawings to aid the description: Thesteam pipe E2 is connected at E and the suction pipe at S. C is an airchamber that has no connection with B and A, but communicates with thesuction pipe by means of the opening I, situated below the suctionvalves F and G. The two latter valves are made of flat rubber and areheld to their seats, as shown by means of the spindles R and T. Thespindles are raised and lowered, as the case may require, by means ofthe bolts f and e. H, H, are plates lthat may be removed to facilitatethe eX- amination of the valves. l) is a ball that acts as a valve foradmitting the steam to the chambers A and B. M and N are exhaust valves,as indicated, made of rubber and situated in a chamber L attached to thepump. They are raised and lowered in the same manner as the suctionvalves by turning the bolts g and h. K is the delivery or column pipe.

The action of the pulsometer is as follows: Both chambers A and B arefilled with water to about the height of the water in B. The valve E is-then opened and the steam enters one of the two chambers A and B.Suppose it enters B, the valve D being at the right, as shown. The waterin B will be forced through the delivery valve N into and up the columnpipe K. This will continue until the water level gets below the edge ofthe discharge opening P. At this point the steam and water miX in thedischarge passage and the steam is condensed, creating a vacuum in B.The pressure in A is now greater than that in B, owing to the vacuum inB,

' F, and into the chamber B, filling it.

and the ball valve D is shifted to the left, Vthe steam entering thechamber A and driving the water through M into the passage O and columnpipe K in the manner just described. While this is being done, thepressure of the atmosphere forces the water up the suction pipe S,opening the suction valve llVhen the suction valve is closed, owing tothe reshifting of the ball valve D to the other side, the suction waterenters the air chamber C through the inlet I' and is brought graduallyto rest by the compression of the air in C,thus preventing a shockowing'to the sudden stoppage of the inflowing water. When the water in Ahas reached the level shown,

the steam kin A is condensed, the ball D is shifted to the right.

Three small air .valves,., and 0 are shown. rllhe valve@ admits air tothe air chamber. C, to replenish that which is lost through leakage andthrough absorption by the water. The valves a and l) admit a smallquantity of air to the chambers A and B, respectively, just before 'thesuction be gins. This injures the suction somewhat, but is necessary fortwo reasons: First, it acts as. a regulator, governing the amount ofwater admitted to the chambers; and, second,'it prevents the steam fromcondensing before the water gets below. the edge of the dischargeoutlet. These valves open inward, as before stated. VSuppose there is avacuum in A owing tothe condensation of the steam'. The atmosphericpressure forces vopen-the valve a and admits alittle air to thecylinder. rl`he incoming water compresses thisl air and soon closes thevalve.

4,lfVhen the air has been compressed to such an extent'as to balance theoutside pressure of the atmosphere,the suction valve G will close and nomore water can get in. Since the same thing occurs in the other chamber,it is revidentthat the amount of air admitted controls the amount ofwater admitted during the suction period, more water entering when thereis less air in the chamber and viceversa. The admission of the air iscontrolled by turning the valves a and Z), and these vcan be so adjustedthat the suction valve in either chamber will close at the instant theball is shifted to the other side, ad- -mitting the steam'. `Moreover,the air prel.vents the steam from coming 'm contact with the waterduring the forcing process, until the water lever has sunk below theedge of the discharge orifice. Air being a poor conductor of heat, thesteam does not condense until the mixture of the steam and water hastaken place.

It will be observed from the construction and mode of operation of thepulsorneter that there is a dynamic thrust of water as it fills thepumping cylinders or chambers. It has been found in practice that ifthis thrust of water filling the chambers is not modified, it will forcethe steam distributing valve ball, D, which controls the admission ofsteam to the chambers, out of its scat prematurely, and thereby create adisturbance of function. The measure of this disturbance will dependupon the vertical elevation or horizontal distance or both combined ofthe pulsometer from the source of water or other liquid supply.Heretofore this disturbance of function has been modified by insertinganair chamber in the induction pipe, by the admission of a smallquantity of air to the pumping chambers, A and B, during each vacuumperiod, by means of suitable valves, a and or by throttling theinduction conduit, S. In the invention disclosed and claimed herein, twovertically disposed check valves, A and B', are placed in an invertedposition between the steam inlet passageways, a and b Fig. l, and thepassageways a2 and b2 at the top of the pumping chambers A and B,respectively, and so arranged that they will permit the free passage ofsteam downward to the pumping chambers, but stop the upward thrust ofthe water in the pumping chambers through the passageways a? and b2 andinto the steam passageways a and b and against the steam-distributingball valve D. rllhe function of the two inverted check valves, A and B',is thus to prevent the thrust of the'water in the pumping chambers A andB, from prematurely unseating the steam-distributing valve, D, andthereby causing a disturbance of function, which was first above alludedto as an objection in pulsometers. rlhe stems, .3 and b3 of the checkvalves, A and B, have coiled springs a* and b4 thereon, held on thestems against slipping olf of the ends thereof by cotter pins, a andrEhese springs are compressedbetween the pins and spiders, a and bc,secured to the wall of the passa gcways a and b, and through the centerof which spiders, the stems, a and b, of the check valves A and B areguided and free to move. The compression of the springs is adjusted tobe sufficient to hold the check valves in their seats normally, but toallow the valves to be unseated maturely by the steam for its freepassage downward to the pumping chambers, A and B. t will thus be seenthat the check valves, A and B', remain closed against the admission ofwater to the steam passages a and b after the vacuum has been satisfieduntil they are opened by a fresh supply of steam admitted by theshifting of the steam-distributing valve to its opposite seat due to theaction of the vacuum just created in the opposite pumping chamber.Because of the certainty that the ball valve, D, will not be prematurelyunseated, an accurate adjustment of the valve or cock, E', in the steamsupply pipe,

E2, controlling the admission of steam from the supply pipe to thepulsometer, is not necessary or essential, and yet there will be nowaste of steam, but an economy, because, by the steamdistributing valveD remaining seated until the proper moment to be shifted from its seat,no portionv of the steam will be divided or diverted from one passagewayto the other when it is intended that all the steam shall be dischargedinto one passageway; furthermore, the function or period of emptying andfilling of the pump chambers is accelerated by the fact that thesteam-distributing valve D remains seated, as explained above, therebyincreasing the pumping capacity of the pulsometer. As has been explainedof the conventional pulsometer, there are, near the top of the pumpingchambers and the air chambers, inwardlyopening air check valves, a, andc which automatically admit a small quantity of air at each pulsation,at the moment the vacuum is formed. rihis layer of air in the pumpingchambers serves two purposes: First, it cushions the inrushing water;secondly, it forms what may be termed an air piston or plenum,separating the steam and water, and preventing the steam from beingcondensed at the beginning of the stroke. ln the pulsometer providedwith the inverted check valves, A and B", the careful adjustment of theair check valves, a, Z) and c, is not necessary or essential, since itappears that an admission of more or less quantity of air than isactually and properly necessary or desirable will not disturb theregularity of the functioning of the pulsometer.

ln the form shown in Fig. 2, the steamdistributing valve has thereference character, D, applied to it, and is shown as having double ortwo faces, Z and being substantially wedge-shaped, taken, say, throughthe cross-section of a cylinder, with the valve supported by trunnionsor lugs, d2 projecting 'from the thin edge of the wedge, and roundedoff, and resting on the cap plate, d3, from which the steam passages,(Zt, rip-spring, and are drawn in or inclined toward each other, andbetween the faces, (Z5, of the free ends or orifices of the steam',uassiiges, between which the valve is placed, the planes of the facesof the orifices being inclined toward each other, of the same generalinclination as the faces of the wedgeshaped valve, except that there isenough difference between the angles of inclination of the faces of theoriiices and wedge-shaped valve to allow the valve to be oscillated orrocked alternately from one seat to the other with a range justsuiiicient to admit the necessary volume of steam for each pressureperiod of the pulsometer. The valve will be oscillated from its seat inthe orifice or entrance to one pumping chamber to its seat in theentrance to the other chamber, serving the purpose of steam distributionwith a certainty, regularity, and unfailing exactitude, keeping its seatuntil the proper moment to leave it and preserving a steamtight fit overa long period of operation.

It is plain that the wedge-shaped valve can be retained in its place onthe cap plate, da by any suitable expedient; in the Fig. 2, a collar orlug ci, subserving that purpose is shown surrounding the trunnions, d2.

What is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is

1. In a pulsoineter, pumping chambers, air inlet valves in saidchambers, a steam valve, passages leading from said steam valve to saidchambers, and valves in said passages to permit the passage of steamtherethrough to the pumping chambers, but to close said Apassages to theflow therethrough of the contents of the pumping chambers to preventpremature unseating of the steam valve by dynamic thrust against it ofthe contents of said pumping chambers.

2. ln a pulsometer, pumping chambers, air inlet valves in said chambers,a steam valve, passages leading from said steam valve to said chambers,and automatically operable valves in said passages to permit the passageof steam therethrough to the pumping chambers but to close the saidpassages to the iiow therethrough of the contents of the pumpingchambers to prevent premature unseating of the steam valve by thedynamic thrust against it of the contents of the pumping chambers.

3. Ina pulsometer, pumping chambers, air inlet valves in said chambers,a steam valve, passages leading from said steam valve to said chambers,and spring returnable inverted check valves in said passages, to permitthe passage therethrough of steam to the pumping chambers, but to closethe said passages to the iiow therethrough of the contents of thepumping chambers to prevent premature unseating of the steam valve bythe dynamic thrust against it of the contents of the pumping chambers.

In witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of J une,1914, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUISE H. JOHNSON, Emecutm'w.

Witnesses:

WM. J. BEROW, G. M. QUINLAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

